davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Tie KnUe9, Bird.

The method of selecting a certain 10
cality for a trysting-place finds ITS per-
lection among certain birds of Australia,
popularity known as the bower birds.
The cdifces that some of them erect
show a wonderful amount of what in a
human builder would be termed intelli
gence. One of the first WAS discovered
by Mr.. Coxen of Brisbane, New South
Wales. It was made by the bird known
to science as the Ptilonorhynchus rolo-
sericeus. The sshall" was exhibited by
MIR. Coxen in the museum of natural
history in Sydney and many persons re-
fused to believe that it was made by
birds, believing it the work of some
human being. When the mating time
comes a place is selected as q flooring
and covered with twigs of a similar
length, all carefully interviewer. Upon
the centre of this the walls arc erected
of twigs inserted into the floor in rows q
snort distance apart, so that the tops
fall together and touch each other.
forming a small room, quite watertight,
as the twigs of the roof are also inter-
woven one with anothe9. When com.
plete, the structure is about three feet
in length. One would imagine this
quite enough, but the bird is ncs
only a builder but a collector of brie-a-
brac, and as o o as its work of buiIdino
IS finished it collects all kinds of curious
objects bits of bone, colored glass
from camps, gaudy shells and insects.
IN fact, anything of q strikin, nature.
so that at some halls over a bushel of
this material is found. In this hall the
ceurtship is carried on, the male follow.
its mate about, picking up the fancy
as if to call her attention to
them; 10 fact, they are love offerings
and evidently intended as an appeal to
her csthetic tastes. -[san Francisco
Call.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
JopGas's Mineral WeeIth.

Although gold and silver were discoy-
cred in the eighth and ninth centuries
the japanese are still SO unskillful iu
separating the two metals that their gold
has invariably an alloy of silver. Owing
to . glut Of the precious metals in japan
in the sixteenth and seventeenth centu-
ries and the Ignorance prevailing of their
current value IN the rest of the world.
more than n thousand millions Of rold
gulden were drawn from the country bv
tho Portugese and Dutch within the
period Of one hundred years. The CON
dltloas are now SO changed that japan
ls obliged to supply her want OF the
precious metals by importation from
Corea, China, America and Australia.
Copper was discovered and EMPLOYED
for coinage earlier than gold-viz, in the
seventh century. notwithstanding the
abundance Of iron ore In the country
its mar ufactuie Is so clumsy and costly
that it fails = ccn,p:ts with the foreign
article. Steel h.osevs-, Of the very best
quality, especially FIR sword blades. Is
turned out, hut Tie secret Of its manu-.
facture has not tscn slivulged. Few
precifus stones, an those only Of in
fcEior order are foraa.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Changes In the Weather.

The weather does not change as MUCK
as some people imagine. We are apt TO
think the biggest storms, the deepest
SHOWS and the coolest and the hottest
days existed in our childhood. In the
last century and in the early part OF this
one, according to Captain w. II. Gard
ner, the extremes of weather were as re-
markable as any one correspondent can
recall. In 1901 there were recorded at
Biloxi, Miss, a winter cold that in
stantly froze water poured into a
tumbler, and an August heat that made
labor impossible except for two hours in
the morning and two in the evening. In
the winter of 1746 water was frozen
solid in the houses of Charleston, S. G.
In t748 and 1858 the Mississippi River
| at New Orleans was frozen from thirty
to forty feet from the shores. In 1928
skating was possible on all the standing
water in and around Mobile. In 1897
20 tn. ground at Alabama, Georgia,
and South Carolina was frozen hard
from December to March. A flood
in the lower Mississippi and a
sfearful hurricane" on the Gulf coast
were recorded in 1923; another destruc-
tive hurricane in 1882, and overfows Of
the lower Mississippid from January till
June, 1885; after which came a Con
drought, and a lower river than had ever
been known. In a hurricane at Dau-
phin Island, in September, 1740, a four
pound cannon was moved by the wind
eighteen feet from where it had been
lying. Other hurricanes of extreme
fury were recorded in October, 1878,
August, 1880, and August, 1881. In the
last year the Mississippi at New Orleans,
the Attakapas, and the Opclousas, were
higher than ever before known. The
Mississippi at St. Louis was equally high
in the flood of 1885, and in July, 1884,
and it reached its highest recorded food
in 1874. The food of the Ohio River in
1882 was not exceeded till 1888. The
year 1910 was one Of almost continual
drought in Alabama and Mississippi, |
and prayer meetings were held in view
of the a~nprehended famine
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
The BGobGb Tree.

The baobab tree, says q writer in the
Cleveland Leader, are believed to be the
oldest trees in the world. Adanson
thought some that he saw were ct least
six thousand years old. Livingstone
estimated that one he examined was
fourteen hundred years old. Some re-
cent traveller speaks of one that he saw
in Senegambia; the account of that in
terested me not a little. You will re-
member that this tree sends out such i'm
mense branches that they bend to the
ground for support, though they grow
to great length before they bend, often
from sixty to seventy five feet. This
y in Senegambia must be the great
grandfather Of the baobab trees; it is
large enough to be used as a public hall
for national meetings, and its portals are
ornamentcd with quaint rude sculptures
cut cut of the living wood.
There is a tree in Madagascar that has
the appearance of q huge fan with a
rather unwieldy handle. The
body of the tree rises some
thirty feet, when leaves grow from oppo-.
site side of the stem. These leaves are
six feet long and stand upon a leaf
stalk eight feet in length, and there are
from twenty to twenty-four of these
leaves on . single stem, and spread out
like an open fan. It must be q strange
sight tossee this fan from a distance.
But the best part about this tree has not
yet been told. In the dry season, If
the native with his spear pierces one Of
these trees, just where the fan part be-
gins to rise from the body, he is reward
ed By . copious flow Of pure, fresh water,
and as cool as il it had been raised in
the old oaken bucket from the depths Of
the well. The leaves of this tree form
the thatch of all the houses on the
portion of the island. The
stems of the leaves are used for partitions
and sometimes the sides Of houses. The
bark Of this tree. b-atcn fat. is
aid for flooring. These leaves, when
green, serve for sablecloths and plates at
meals.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
DandeIion Salad.

In early spring, as soon as the dande-
lion pushes its young leaves above the
soil, the women and children in parts Of
Europe may be seen with knife and bas-
ket cutting them off just below the
crown. An English paper states that
the dandelion, while Il wholesome veg
etable, may be used as salad or boiled
like spinach. For salad, use only the
delicate young leaves just after they APP
pear among tho grass. For cooking,
either the young o full-grown leaves
may be used. Clean and wash the
leaves well, as there is usually fine sand
or earth between them, and let them
stand in cold water for two hours. Drain
them and throw them into boiling sailed
water, and boil for twenty minutes if
young, and for a half-hour if full grown.
Put the leaves in a colander and press
them to extract all the water, and then
chop them fine. Put i'll a stewpan two
ounces of butter to two quarts of leaves,
and set it over a brisk fire. As soon as
the butter is melted, sprinkle in a table,
spoonful Of -four and some salt and pep
per. Add the dandelion, stir until
thoroughly heated, and then moisten
with milk or broth and serve. LCultiva-
tor.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Glue the Bou q Chance.

Teach your boy-if you would give
him the larger chance the Creator in-
tended he should have-either trade OF
a business, and SO give him the chance
of his hands. Educate him literally,
richly if you can, but above all educate
him practically. Keep him out of a
profession if you can. There are only
two or three professions. left, and they
are starving to death, the most of them.
The lazy profession is marked for decay;
the world is coming into the larger wis
dom of less litigation and more arbitra-
ton. The medical profession is holding
its empire by Trailer and Trailer hand, as
the people are escaping more and more
from the inherited diseases transmitted
through superstition and perpetuated by
imagination and fear. Such things as
dentistry, newspapers, ETC., are not pro-
fessions; they are skilled labor. Give
the boy a chance. fine is to be a law.
yer he may build the proud temple of a
great reputation, but his son cannot in
herit it, and no one can live in it but
himself. The great temples that the
proudest lawyers rear by day disappear
in the night. They are fair and noble
and imposing; but they are raised in a
day and pass away in a day, and no one
lse can enter them. The mechanic
erects the true palaces. Many Others
can live in them, aud they stand for
thousands of people to live in, and live
on, after their builders are gone.-[D4s
Moines ([owa) Register.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.

An observer must stand 1857 feet
above the level of the sea to discern a
vessel one hundred miles distant, and
&c, 666 feet when it is distant two hun
dred miles.
The teeth of an individual often vary
greatly in hardness at intervals, and a
Berlin physician, DR.. W. D. Miller, is
experimenting to show that this is due
to a varying proportion Of lime salts in
the food.
Some idea of the wonderful progress
now being made in microscop:cal science
may be formed by the fact, as stated by
the President of the British Association
lately, that results are now attached IN
! this line which maihematicians five
years ago declared to be impossible.
A substance resembling celluloid may
be made from potatoes by pceling them,
and, after soaking them in water, i'm
ORIGINATING with eight parts of sulphuric
acid, then drying and pressing between
sheets Of blottiug paper. In France
pipes are made of this substance scarcely
distinguishable from meerschaum. By
subjecting the mass to great pressure a
substance can be made of it rivalin3
ivory in hardness.
Mr.. ]. Mcneil, of Indiana University,
mentions a long-horned beetle which
lived no less than nineteen years, and
probably more than twenty, in an ash
door-siIl. Two similar ises of remark
able longevity in beetles are recorded by
Packard. A specimen of the pine
borer lived more than fifteen years in a
pine bureau; and three beetles came
from an apple-tree table, the first after
q residence therein of twenty years and
the last of twenty eight years.
Henry w. Elliott, in his book on
Alaska, says that the sea lion at its full
growth is twice the size of the fur seal,
yet inferior in perfection of physical Or
ganization, in intelligence, and even III
courage, at least against man. As it has
no fur, its skin has little commercial
value, but the Aleutlans make abundant
use of its flesh, fat and sinews. The sea
lion common off tho Bay of San Fran
cisco belongs to a different family, aud
attains not more than half the size Of
its namesake of the Behring Sea.
According TO the Belgian savant,
Quetelet, a man attains his maximum
weight about his 4oth year, and begins
to lose it toward his Goth year. A
woman, however, does not attain her
maximum weight until her 5Oth year.
The weight of persons of the same age
in different classes of society also differs.
In the ~affluent classes the average maxi
mum weight is 1862 pounds and is
attained at Sc years of age. In the arti-
san class it is 1874 pounds, attained at
DO. Among farm laborers it is III
pounds, attained at so. In the general
classes 1t is 1874 pounds, and is reached
between 40 and so years of age.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Restsessress that Rufns Homes,

Thousands of farmers every year leave
pleasant homes in the older settled
States and make long and tedious pill
grimages to newer States and Territories,
not driven to it by necessity, but by q
chronic restlessness-an idea that it i
possible somewhere else to get on a little
faster in the world. In nine cases out of
ten the man would be better off where
he is, but he il never satisfied until he
has made at least one or two changes.
Homes are destroyed in the most ruth
less in pursuit of this phantom
OF bcttering ones self-homes which can
never really be restored to the family.
for home is something more than the
roof which shelters US. The associations
OF childhood, the friends of early DAYS.
the memories of the past, the ancestral
graves upon the hillside-are these
nothinga It will take more years than
the most of us can afford to build up a
new home and get into the feeling with
which we regard our present one, be it
ever so humble.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Saint VaIeattsse,s Day.


Saint Valentines DAY! And midst all re-
collections
That rush to my heart with an echping Joy,
/ remember once more the old hopes and de-
~jections,
When you were a girl, dear, and I was a
boy;
When I sent you a rose OF that February
morning,
And with it a passionate, rhyme-halting
lay,
And met your reproaches and well-acted
scorning
By whispering. Sweet, It's Saint Valen-
tines Day"
And the sky was SO blue, and the sunshine so
yellow,
Al 1.-THE soft southern wind blew SO shrilly
and sweet,
And each tiny bird sang SO loud to its fellow,
While tie ~snowdrops and crocuses bloomed
at your feet
Small wonder cur hearts broke to tremulous
beating,
AS we learned in the wonderful old-fash~
toned way,
What the earth and the sky and the air were
repeating
In mystical cadence of Valentines Day.
And now that the. crazy-sweet babble and
laughter
Ofgolden-haired children have rung in
our ears,
And brought us the hope Of a tender here
after,
To link to the thought of those far away
years
Once more in the words of the happy boy
love,
I veil deeper meaning in whimsical way
A meaning your heart will be quick to dis
cover,
BY whispering: Sweet, tits Saint valen-
tines Dayi"
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
A Boordsng House Tragedy.

'Can you reach the butter2" he inquir-
ed of the star boarder.
Il cam" she said in an icy tone.
The silence was only broken by the
frantic endeavors Of a Fly to get out Of
the vinegar cruet.
He bidcd his time. The man, not the
fly.
It came.
She was hurrying to keep an appoint
ment with her dressmaker, when they
met by mischance.
Have you the timei" she inquired
o'gerly.
7 havel' he answered frigidly.-
Detroit Free Press.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Just as III

sTherc goes q runawayln he called TO
. citizen who was coming out of the
City Hall.
Good enought Let 'em obey the or
dinance and hitch their horsesp
The citizen walked around to the cor
ner Of Fort and Griswold, looked ali
around for his horse and cutter, and
suddenly exclaimed:
1B.ess mel but that must have been
my horsei The ordinance be hanged,
and TIL lick somebody for not stopping
himlsFree Press.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02

a revolver, and she saw him going to
the railway station on the morning Of
the wedding as if to lie in wait for the
bridal party. She followed him and
found him there.
stephen" she said, holding his eye.
with hers, tthey will not leave tonight.
The riveris rising; all smokcton is un-
der water, aud the people are drowning.
Come with me and save them. Come,
Stephen" she added solemnly, as he
hesitated, gazing in surprise at her trans.
formed countenance, ''prove yourself a
man worth loving. Let that be your
revenge"
tsBlamed if I don'tw said Stephen
Dare.
He walked forward a step, drew his
hand from his breast, and with a whirl
of his wrist sent something bright,
cleaning, and sparkling into the fast
approaching water. Then, taking Mod
by the arm, he hurried her away to her
home, where he put her within the door,
saying, briefly:
"Now, you're safe, Mod; stay there"
and then he fastened ON.
Stephen Dare was the best oarsman in
Smoketon, but he found himself sur
passed that day, not only in skill but in
cool, ready daring, for Champ Preston
had been the crack oar of his college,
and had pulled stroke in many aNboat
race, and now, with his BRIDES
kisses warm on his lips, he felt
strong with the strength of ten.
Apart at times, at other times to-
gether, the rivals tolled, bringing many
q boat load of half drowned wretches to
safety and such comfort as was obtain
able, while the rain still fell and the
water rose steadily higher. As the dark
ness increased it grew more difficult to
avoid the logs, beams and wrecks of all
description which the terrible river
swept downward with resistless force.
One of these crushed at last into
Champ Prcston's boat and crushed in its
side as though it had been an egg-slell.
In half a moment it had filed and sunk,
and the rowers were struggling in the
black, raging current. Stephens boat
was close at hand and rushed at once to
the rescue.
Myra and Mod in the meantime had
not been idle. There was much to be
done for those taken out of the water,
and as the two worked together they
learned, if not to like, at least to re-
spect each other. Every room in Mrs.
Tracy's house had been thrown open to
the sufferers; mattresses, beds,
improvised couches of
all descriptions, covered the floors,
and there did not seem to be room FIR
even one more, when suddenly Stephen
stood before them, saying ~anxiously:
"Now, girls, don't either of you fly
off the handle. There's no charming
young widow in this party, for he's alive
md here"
Myra Preston saw the white, uncon-
'cious face of the form which four men
we're bringing carefully in, and sprang
it with a low cry.
did you save him, stsve7 Oh,
Steve, did you, reallyT cried Mod.
Stephen turned and looked for a mo-
nent into Mods face, then, opening his
rms, drew her to his breast, where,
wet as he was, she laid her
heck il rapturous content.
II won't be left by every girl in
own, " said Stephen. sTH marry you,
fod. You kept me from making a fool
+ myself this morning, and I'll make
GU a good husband"
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Fishes g,sd Marafc

An Italian has discovered that fishes
are fond Of music. To one signor Ga.
retti the honor Of the discovery is said
70 pc due; and recently, with . party Of
friends, he is sail to have tried the ex-
pertinent on Lake Geneva, which proved
quite successful. Musical notes, espe-
cinlly those produced by the human
voice, attracted the fishes in great mum
bers around the boat. Fishermen
should try the experiment. -[scientifc
American.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
S0naethsgsa 20 Reuserebe,..

"A mother had reproved her little girl
for being % clumsy as to drop d dish,
and the little girl, sitter = thoughtful ST.
lence, said:
sMamrna. can You write with your
eft aandgy
could III were Ieft-handed. but
I'm not.
We'll Z said the little Cir, Il guess
little children ARE Icft-handed alI yyer.p
New York sun.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Recipes,

Nut CAKES. Half cup of sugar, hal
cup of butter, two eggs, half cup of wa
fer, n and one-half cups prepared
-four, one cupful hickory nut kernels
freed from bits of shell and dredged il
flour. Cream the butter and sugar, ado
the yolks of the eggs, the water and
flour and the whites. Last of all, stil
in the nuts. Bake in small tins and ice
if desired.
MINCED VEAL.-Tahe three pounds of
uncooked veal, chop fine; add three
beaten eggs, butter the size of an egg,
four rolled crackers, and enough pepper
and salt to season we'll; one-helf grated
nutmeg; mix. Press it into a crock or
earthen dish, and bake half an hour.
When ready to serve, turn it out and
slice down on a platter. Beef is good
prepared in the same manner.
ENGLISH OATMEAL PoRRIDaE.-Wet
one cup of oatmeal and a ~teaspoonful
of salt into a paste with cold water and
stir into a quart of boiling water; put
into a farina kettle; fill the outer vessel
with boiling water and set at one side of
the range when you go to bed and the
fire is low; stir well before leaving it
and again before setting it over the fire
in the morning. Do not put a spoon in
it again, but cook for more than a hour
before dishing.
DuMPL1NGs.--one cup of sweet milk,
one egg, n heaping tablespoonful of
butter, salt, one t%easpoonful of soda, two
teaspoonfuts of cream of tartar; rub the
butter with a little -four to a cream, then
add the remaining ingredients. with
enough -four to make it very stiff. Drop
the butter by teaspoonfuls on a creased
pie tin, and steam about thirty minutes.
This will make seven good-sized ones,
which can be divided, and they cannot
fail to be light.
PoT ROAST OF BEEF.-Get four or five
pounds from the rump, without bone.
Cut gashes l%engthwise and lay in strips
of salt pork. Put in a broad pot and
pour in a cup of boiling water. Cover
and let cook about two hours.
once. During the last half hour
haste several times. Then put the meat
when done in a covered dish to keep
warm while you cool the gravy by set
ting it in cold water. When the fat
rises skim off every particle, return the
gravy to the fro in a saucepan, thicken
brown -four, boil up and serve.
Even the coarser pieces of meat may be
palatable by this mode Of cook
ing.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
A Good Customer.

DR.. X. loses his wife, and he goes ID
the marble cutters to order q monument.
He selects az expensive model, but de-
mands 3 re iuction in the price. The
seller objects, but finally consents, with
the remark:
well, let it go at that. But remem-
ber, it's only 70 you, becau,e you send
us 50 many good customers. New York
Graphic.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
Where the Neacs Fa.

What arc you reading, my
dear2
Wifc-A long letter from mother.
Husband-Has she anything IN par
iicular tn say2
Wife-I don't know. ! haven't rot
20 the postscript yet.-IHarner ! Bazar.
The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-02
ST. MARY's

0PEL0USAS. LA.
The course of instruction in this Institution embraces
English. French, Lttin, Greek, Arithmetic. Algebra,
Geometry, Bookkeeping, Natural Sciences, History.
Geography, Penmanship, and great care is bestosA
on Christian Inst ruction.
TERMs:-Board ami tuition mar month Sis; Day
Scholars per month. 50, s. or 81, according to class.
Glasses are resumed on Wednesday. September 18Th
1885. REV. G. RAYMOND, ID. D.,
Rev. L. j. Raymond.
HENRY 6. LEWIS,
Aug. %. 1885. A. BLANC DUQUEsFAY..
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-15
The Grown Prince Worse.

VIENNA, Dec. 14.-Dispatches received
here report that the condition of the Ger
man Crown Princes throat has suddenly
become worse and that a special medical
consultation has been called at San Reno.
This, the report says, explains DIR. Macken-
zie's hurried departure from England.
A CONSULTATION AT SAN RENO.
SAN RENO, Dec. 1.-THE doctors who ex-
amined the Crown Prince last evening dis
covered symptoms of fresh growth and an
increase in the swelling A special consul
tation of medical experts was determined
upon. DIR. Mackenzie will attend at the re-
quest of the Crown Prince.
Prince and Princess William have been
notified to be in readiness for sudden call
to San Reno Queen Victoria begged Dr.
Mackenzie to inform her of any sudden
change in the Crown Princes condition.
HIS CONDITION ALARMING.
LONDON, Dec. l4--A dispatch from San
Reno says that the Crown Princes symp-
toms are alarming. The tumor has spread
rapidly with deplorable results.